President Barack Obama's Campaign Against Gun Control Continues, Shuts Down Rumor of 'Obama is Trying to Take Away Your Guns'
U.S. President Barack Obama continued his campaign for stricter gun control laws by having a civil discussion with regular citizens during a town hall hosted by CNN.
Anderson Cooper served as the host for the evening and asked the president some hard hitting questions regarding his plan and set of executive actions, which will remedy the "gun-show" loophole exploited by many sellers.
According to TIME, Obama planned on using the town hall discussion as an opportunity to engage with regular Americans who are either for or against the issue.
The day before the event, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said, "The President has often said that we can disagree without being disagreeable."
And when it happened, the president was not only grilled by Cooper, but the citizens as well and was asked repeatedly if his proposed executive actions would make it hard for law-abiding owners to acquire guns, with one even being a rape victim.
The rape survivor even asked why the administration is attempting to make her and her kids feel safe, in which Obama sternly answered that there "is nothing that we're proposing that makes it harder for you to purchase a firearm if you need one."
But according to CNN, Obama's most vocal critics were absent from the town hall discussion -- the National Rifle Association, which declined to participate in the event.
The NRA also criticized the event and said that there is no reason to participate in a discussion, which it sees as merely a PR move by the White House.
But Obama said that he still willing to participate in a discussion with the association, but quipped that it has to be based on facts and not false ideas that indicate, "Obama is trying to take away your guns."
Both CNN and the White House repeatedly clarified that the network, and not Obama, organized the event.
Still, it was a breath of fresh air to see a calm and civilized discussion between proponents and opponents of Gun Control laws in America. A plague that has been hunting the country for many years now, which resulted into many mass shootings, including the terrible Sandy Hook tragedy of 2013.
Obama also did not mince words about his stance and called the Republicans and gun lobbyists as "obstructionists" and "unreasonable."
However, Business Insider noted that the president is not taking any political side and even said that he will not campaign, vote or support any candidate, including those in the Democratic Party, who does not support gun control reforms.
He also criticized the congress for repeatedly blocking his attempts for firearm-safety regulations and accused them of giving manufacturers "virtual immunity."
Obama said, "As parents, we wouldn't put up with this if we were talking about faulty car seats. Why should we tolerate it for products -- guns -- that kill so many children each year?
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